Stories from the Edge of Music #52: ODDS, ENDS, AND SHAMELESS SELF-PROMOTION
Real live events in real life, coming soon!
Suddenly, and I hope you understand, I have a massive amount of work on my plate. So much for the “retirement” I planned three or four years ago.
This is an odd and ends column. And it’s coming at you only three days after the last one, on Bonnie Raitt, Shirley Eikhard and Anne Murray, which you should have received on Monday.
In the next short period of time, there’s a major music convention in Montreal. Then there’s a public “Evening with…” reading of some of my earlier Substack pieces, and (with fellow promoter Derek Andrews) a concert with the fabulous Peruvian-Canadian singer Irene Torres. Down the line, in April, Derek and I are organizing a book launch for the record producer, former label head and author Joe Boyd.
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THE BIGGEST “FOLK” MUSIC CONFERENCE OF THEM ALL. I MUST BE CRAZY
When this arrives in your inbox, I’ll be in the middle of hosting (with my friend Veronica Kütt) three late-night showcases at the annual Folk Alliance International conference, this year in Montreal.
We’re presenting 27 different artists and calling the events True Stories & Tender Songs. There are likely to be 2,000 delegates, and we hope some of them will discover the artists we’re presenting.
Check the lineup below; you’ll probably know some of the names, but others may be “complete unknowns.” What Veronica and I do know, however, is that ALL of them deserve to be better known.
We expect snow — the storm we’re having in Toronto, as I write this, is moving east to Montreal.
PS: As you’ve heard me say before, “folk” covers a multitude of different genres. I’ll tell you more about the event next time — when I’ve recovered.
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A QUICK NOTE FOR TORONTO FOLK ABOUT A SPECIAL CONCERT
Back in the day this Substack writer used to promote concerts in clubs, pubs and even Toronto’s best-known venue, Massey Hall. And now he’s doing it again.
Irene Torres is a Peruvian-Canadian singer with a loyal following and a repertoire of songs that reflect both her Peruvian heritage and the popular music she grew up with in Canada. Mariska Martina, who’ll open, is half Peruvian and half Dutch and lives in the UK — that’s as international as you can get! Here’s the link to get tickets — hope to see you there.
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DID YOUR MUM SAY THINGS LIKE THIS?
When I was a kid I never thought my mother was wise. But I've always remembered two of her sayings.
“There are good days and bad days. And this is one of them.”
She always referred to instant coffee as “filthy.” As in, “Would you like a nice cup of filthy?”
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READING SOME OF THESE STORIES TO NEW AUDIENCES
Last summer my dear friend T. Nile joined me in the “Talk Tent” at the Calgary Folk Festival while I read some of these stories, and the packed audience was very appreciative.
So I’m trying it again out at a small bookshop in Toronto. Alas, T. Nile can’t join me (she lives in British Columbia), so I’ve asked my London friend Mariska Martina to sing songs associated with the people I’m telling stories about.
So here’s some shameless self-promotion; if you’re in Toronto it would be so nice to see you. Call Peter Sellers at 647-778-6345 or email sellers@sellersandnewel.com to make a reservation.
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NINE NON-MUSICAL QUESTIONS THAT GOOGLE PROBABLY CAN’T ANSWER
How many different mental diseases does Donald Trump suffer from?
Did J.D. Vance actually have sex with his couch? And if so, how?
How can our American friends stop Elon Musk and his teenage “engineers” bull-doge-ing through their government?
Why are garbage trucks so damn LOUD?
How come we can land folk on the moon, but we have no idea how to stop spam? (I got no less than 11 messages this morning from various e-mail addresses, all pretending to be from the Bell telephone company.)
Why doesn't Bell do something about that? (I never get spam from my bank.)
Why was January the best month, in more than two years, for my Substack income, when this month the income’s a mere pittance?
Finally, will CDs make a comeback, like vinyl did?
And if so, when?
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QUOTE OF THE WEEK
Why do you and I love music so much?
“I’ve come to think that feelings are really the most important part of it. Feelings are what artists deal in the whole time … A lot of people don’t like the idea that art is about feelings. It’s supposed to be about big issues, it’s supposed to be ‘important.’
“But is it really such a small ambition to say what we want to do is understand how the world of feelings works?” — Brian Eno, quoted by Carl Wilson in his Substack column Crritic!
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A FINAL NOTE
Forgive me, but here’s the regular soft sell reminder: There are no Stories behind a paywall, posts get sent to you reasonably regularly, and the $6 a month from my 100 paid subscribers allows me to buy inspirational coffee, providing I can get to the Starbucks through the snow. Would you consider buying my coffee, and — if you have a free subscription — upgrading?